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When you’re young, everything seems interesting, mysterious, and fascinating. Kids' brains are sponge-like and seem to fire on all cylinders. That’s probably why they can think up crazy and impossible things without batting an eyelid. 

To celebrate the beauty of youth and also inject some humor into your day, we’ve compiled a list of the most hilarious and ridiculous things folks truly believed when they were young. Who knows, maybe you’ll relate to some of these things!

More info: Reddit

#1

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered When I was a child, I asked my grandad why he was bald. He told me that he went to a zoo and a giraffe licked the hair off the top of his head. I never questioned this throughout my childhood. When I was about 19, I was out with my friends and we were talking about going bald. I said “my grandad went bald because a giraffe licked his hair off” and instantly realised how ridiculous it was once I said it out loud.

Neither-Engine-5852 , Alex Arabagiu Report

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JB
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of mine had a large cyst on the back of his neck. Told us grandkids he’d swallowed a golf ball. Believed that for far too long.

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#2

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered When I was like 7-8 years old I was convinced I could see a small outline of the statue of liberty from our garden, in reality it was a big networking antenna. We're living in Germany lol.

BodyPillowCollector , Pixabay Report

#3

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered When I was a kid, my mom explained to me that we all had belly buttons because that’s how our moms fed us before we were born. So I thought when you got pregnant, your belly button opened up and you just put whatever you wanted to down there. Like I thought women were just shoving chicken legs in their belly buttons.

camila_applepie22 , freestocks.org Report

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Kids’ imaginations have almost no limits. Since they haven’t had many experiences, their minds are naturally curious about anything and everything. Although it might be easy for parents to dismiss their children’s thoughts as fantasy or silly, it’s important to understand why kids think this way.

To understand how children can think and imagine this way, Bored Panda contacted Jane McKay, the founder of Creative Kids Art Lessons. She is a professional artist and primary classroom teacher with over 30 years of experience. Creative Kids Art Lessons provides lesson plans for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents who want to do art projects with their children at home.

Jane explained that “children don’t have constraints on what is possible or logical, so their imagination runs wild. Children are also learning all the time, it is literally their job description to learn! So, they use their imagination and creativity every day. Children also have time to play, experiment, and explore. The integration of new experiences and ideas through play also feeds their imagination.”

#4

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered When people died in movies they died in real life. Never understood why an actor would take a part in a movie knowing he would be [ended] during filming.

SeductionWhisper , Maksim Romashkin Report

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Winter Eleven
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh i thought they hired like fataly ill people (cancer, heart issues...) who have like a few days left to live so they wouldn't mind dying for a movie or something 😓

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#5

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I believed that if professional wrestlers ran into each other in public (like the supermarket), that they’d immediately have to start fighting.

bubba_oriley , Bruno Bueno Report

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glowworm2
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hilarious! "Ooh, and it looks like it's clean up on aisle six!"

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#6

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That quicksand was going to be something I would have to deal with as an adult. I was scared of not being able to get out of it. To this day I’ve never seen it. I’m in my mid thirties now.

Round_Corgi2610 , Ravi Roshan Report

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Lotekguy
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do they call it quicksand? In all the movies, people sink slowly. Sucksand would seem more accurate

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You might laugh at some of the things mentioned in this list. But if you look closely, you’ll realize that these childish thoughts show just how limitless children believe the world is. The laws of gravity, the rules of nature, and the boundaries of time and space are no match for a kid’s imagination. 

This kind of thinking is also important for problem-solving. It can help a growing child see beyond the existing rules of the world and consider new ways to approach almost every situation.

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#7

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I was convinced that the moon followed our car everywhere because it had a crush on my mom.

Complex-Pass4023 , Burak The Weekender Report

#8

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That my mom was committing crime everyday by drinking and driving. I told the teacher and my mom had to come in and explain….she would bring tea with her in the car to drink.

Every morning my day would start with me thinking my mom is up to crime again and then head off to school.

PigletPancakes , cottonbro studio Report

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Fire Singer
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My parents also had to explain "drinking and driving" to me as a kid after we learned about in in D.A.R.E. and were immediately concerned when our parents drank anything while driving like water or soda lol! Maybe some context would help for kids? Maybe?

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#9

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I thought that people singing on the radio were all in one big place, and they took turns going to the microphone. lol.

saltybeachygirl , Pixabay Report

It’s essential for parents to foster their children’s creative thinking. However, some experts say that a very overactive imagination may not always be a good thing, especially if a child is always lost in daydreams or prefers to hang out with imaginary friends over real friends.

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Jane shared a different perspective. She explained that “people with overactive imaginations become writers, movie directors, artists, entrepreneurs, dancers, musicians and other types of creatives. These are the problem solvers of the world; creativity is essentially solving problems. That is what the world needs now, though people with overactive imaginations just may not be able to handle scary movies!”

#10

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered As a child, I genuinely believed that if I dug deep enough in the backyard, I could reach the other side of the world. I spent hours with a shovel, convinced I’d end up in another country. Reality hit when I barely got past the dirt.

yourdigigirlfriend , Allan Mas Report

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Justin Tyme
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a child, I tried to dig a tunnel to China. As an adult, I met a person from China who, as a child, tried to dig a tunnel to America. And I said "Oh, we finally meet!"

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#11

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I believed that my mother was the tooth fairy. No, not the truth about everyone's mom being the tooth fairy and leaving them money, I thought that she was THE tooth fairy. I thought that I was the tooth fairy's daughter.

Honey_Kitten18 , Enis Yavuz Report

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#12

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That if any part of me was exposed to the edge of the bed, the monster under my bed would eat me.

Ima-Derpi , Tatiana Syrikova Report

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GottaGo
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But if you cover all your body with your blanket, you are safe. Been there. 😂

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The best way for kids to develop a healthy and curious mind is through reading stories, playing with open-ended toys, making art, spending time in nature, and engaging in pretend play. They should also be allowed to ask questions and share their thoughts without the worry of being laughed at or criticized. 

Jane shared that “anything creative, [like] writing, music, cooking, exploring the outdoors, drawing, making things, and reading all aid the development of ideas, and each creative area feeds into other areas of the imagination. Children thrive on encouragement and support. Let them play, make a mess, use old cardboard boxes to make a car, a fort, or a treehouse. Provide art materials, paper, and pencils so children can create.” 

“If you can afford extra classes in the area of your child’s interest, look into those, so you get an expert expanding their experiences. Also, allow time for your child to play; don’t over-schedule kids so they have something every day after school and on weekends. Allowing kids to get bored is also good. They have to come up with ideas of what to do themselves,” she added.

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#13

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I thought my teacher in first grade lived at school. It never occurred to me she had a family, home or life.

Bitter_Sea6108 , fauxels Report

#14

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That having the light on in the car, while you were driving was illegal and would get you pulled over.

My parents told me this. My siblings and I would never turn on the interior lights while the car was moving for the fear of my parents being arrested. .

Yaaeee , cottonbro studio Report

#15

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I grew up very close to the ocean and on nice evenings we would take walks on the beach.

My mother would tell us that we should listen carefully when the sun was setting over the ocean because it would sizzle. (You know how when you put out a fire with water)

My sister and I went out of our ways to pretend to hear that.

Background-Two-8999 , Francesco Ungaro Report

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If there’s one thing you take away from this list, it’s the importance of fostering your imagination. The saddest part about growing older is that you lose childhood whimsy. This happens because people often worry that it’s not socially acceptable to daydream or imagine things. 

People even think it’s not mature to have silly, ridiculous, or over-the-top ideas. Therefore, in adulthood, insecurity takes center stage, and our childhood imagination takes a backseat. We should try our best to undo this.

Jane also said that “as adults, we tend to stick with things we know how to do and are not often out of our comfort zone, so we tend not to be as creative. Sadly, as adults, we also don’t allow much time to play or try new things.”

#16

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I used to think other countries were up in the sky, because planes…go in the sky. You fly up to 30,000 ft, get off in “Australia,” then if you want to go to a different country, board a plane and go up to 60,000. Want to return to Australia? Gotta go back down like an elevator.

Time_Ad7995 , Maarten van den Heuvel Report

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#17

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That there was a monster in my attic. He loved us and protected us in our house while we slept. His name was "Fred", and he survived by eating feral cats in the neighborhood.

(My Dad told me this story).

YELLOW_TOAD , Jeswin Thomas Report

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Duncan McCann
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fred could at least have made himself useful and untangled the christmas tree lights every year.

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#18

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I believed dog and cats were the same specirs, dogs were the males and cats the females...

Professional_Cow1157 , Alexander Grey Report

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Ambrosius
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well I don't know why that is, but everyone assumes my dog is male and my cat is female. When I walk my dog, many say: oh, what a good boy, what's his name? Her name is Felicity.

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Even though some of the thoughts shared on this list might seem childish, it’s important to hold onto some of that whimsy. A little creativity and imagination never hurt anyone and can lend a spark of positivity to dull days. 

Now it’s your turn to share! What are some ridiculous things you believed as a child that you may or may not still believe today?

#19

This is so weirdly specific lol. We had two dogs and the girl got pregnant. What my grandma told little me was “Max put the puppies in Molly’s tummy through a little hole.” I had seen him humping her before so I accepted this explanation. Then when she actually had her puppies there were SO MANY! I knew humans only had like 1 or 2 at a time usually and I had never seen humans humping so I concluded that each individual “hump” transferred 1 baby in. So for humans to make a baby it was 1 thrust or 2 if you want twins.

drinkwhatyouthink Report

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#20

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That when there was a thunderstorm it was the sun and the rain fighting, whoever won would decide what the weather the next day would be.


When you ate something that it went all the way down to your feet.

That queen bees wore a crown.

That the stain on the kitchen wall was watching me 😂.

Puzzleheaded_Exit_45 , Greg Report

#21

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered There was no colour in the world when black and white movies existed.

Thanossing , freepik Report

#22

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I believed the point of American football was to see how many players could land in a pile.

Hemenucha , football wife Report

#23

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That waves came from whales slapping their tails on the water way far out in the ocean.

SpicySnails , Emiliano Arano Report

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#24

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered Being an adult is easy. I thought money just came to you and houses would fall in line. Cars would be ready. Food always available. I thought being an adult would be easy ☠️






Edit my spelling lol stupid fast thumbs.

tearsoflostsouls420 , Giorgio Trovato Report

#25

That hamsters lived in Hamster-dam.

HoundOfUlsterSpeaks Report

#26

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I used to believe that when your luggage went on a conveyor belt at the airport, that your luggage would go all of the way to your destination on that conveyor belt.

Apprehensive_Sand343 , Markus Winkler Report

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Lotekguy
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the way it seems at some airports that have particularly long gaps between arrival and baggage retrieval. Are you reading this, Lambert in St. Louis???

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#27

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That someone worked inside an ATM and fed the cash through the slot.

Forgotten_Outlier , Liliana Drew Report

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#28

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I'm an animal lover, and when I was little my dad would discourage me from approaching wild animals by telling me that they would give me rabies, and if I got it I would have to get shots in my stomach. My aunt was having fertility treatments one year, and I saw my uncle give her shots in her stomach, and for years after, her being an animal lover like me, I thought that was her being treated for rabies.

keirashae96 , Magda Ehlers Report

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CMKB
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm still lucky that cat didn't have rabies and that i kept my thumb.

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#29

When I was a child, the only time we went to Dairy Queen was for ice cream. I had no idea Dairy Queen sold hamburgers until I was an adult. I had always thought Dairy Queen only sold ice cream.

TammyL8 Report

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Kim Kermes
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Used to be so. Have a little trouble getting used to burgers and chicken strips at DQ. In fact, the ones I went to as a kid only had windows service. One still in business, think the neighborhood would chain themselves around it were it threatened.

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#30

Adults knew everything.

Libraryanne101 Report

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Belandriel
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That my mum knew everything... I kept on asking and asking. And when she said "That I don't know" I was upset and said "You just don't want to tell me!!!" :D

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#31

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That the sun and moon were the same thing - just different sides.

cfresh12 , Riaan Beylefeld Report

#32

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered That there was a tiny band in our car playing songs that came out of our radio. I was four.

kinare , Ksenia Kartasheva Report

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LinkTheHylian
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Beach Boys were a famous Smurf rock band, so this is possible.

#33

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered I thought Santa Claus and God were the same person.

My dad also convinced me that Michael and Janet Jackson were the same person. The 80s were a wild ride.

Critical-One-366 , cottonbro studio Report

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Lyone Fein
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Many people's idea of God is very much like Santa: you put in requests to have him grant your desires and if you've been good enough you'll get what you want. It's definitely a primitive understanding about prayer and morality, and it relies on a very unrealistic view of how reality functions.

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#34

People died with their tongues out.

ChopEee Report

#35

Mom said- when the ice cream truck plays music it’s out of ice cream. 😕.

theonePappabox Report

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Cursed Starscream
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

man i wish i could go up to an ice cream truck again. i remember it was less of a truck and it was a dude on a modified bike that had the freezer cooler attached to it that wouldpass through the park. got to experience that for the last time last year though. iim pretty sure that they stopped doing it after covid but they picked it back up the one time i was there so that was nice. but i think that park is getting less and less use now due to squatters i think? idunno, just that i know ive seen some homeless people in an overgrown side area made for horseshoe toss there. people still end up renting the shaded patio area for birthdays consantly so you cant even go sit under there to eat your food there or chill out there. the main payground is still in pretty good condition for what it is, got a buncha stickers and heavy paint chipping, but its a playground, what else you expect. foundation is still the good old rubbery asphalt stuff, but it got padded with a buncha rubber bits

E A M
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought you were only allowed to stop the truck once a summer...lol.

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#36

Someone Asked "What’s The Most Ridiculous Thing You Believed As A Child?" And 30 People Answered Used to think that if you stepped on a crack, it would literally break your mom’s back—like, I was convinced my mom had a “crack meter” or something! I remember avoiding cracks in the sidewalk like my life depended on it. Looking back, it's hilarious to think I had this mental image of a crack-detecting superpower. It’s funny how kids can take the most random things so seriously!

moonlightjasminee , Pixabay Report

#37

That elephants were made of rubber and couldn’t get struck down by lightening 😆LOL.

Annie_may20 Report

#38

That putting pepper on my food would actually put hair on my chest. I'm a female.

krisanthemum1974 Report

#39

My mom is pretty absent minded. She would always leave the turn signal on, and as a kid, I didn't know what it was called, but the sound annoyed me. So I used to tell her "mom, turn the tink-toinker off!" I never remember her laughing at me or anything, just like, oh ok, you're right, and turning it off.

So one day, at like 11-12 years old, I'm in my friends car. Tell then the tink tinker is still on. They are confused, I'm confused, then I start to get laughed at.

I honestly believed the turn signal was called "tink-toinker" for YEARS.

I was so embarrassed/ angry that no one in my family thought to correct me.. EVER!

susieq1485 Report

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Lost Panda
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair, within the family they understood you, so there was no reason to correct you.

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#40

I thought woman gave birth from their belly button.

cakgeliyo Report